A Circus Tiger Cub That Had Been Badly Neglected Gets Rescued And Makes A Remarkable Recovery

"I knew I was going to have to handle her in order to get her well.”

Maryjane

• Published in Animal Stories
• October 4, 2022

Neglecting an animal is the failure to give that animal the essential care it needs to survive. Stories of animal abuse—those lone, violent, and mindless acts of violence against animals—have all broken our hearts.

Even though it may not seem as cruel, failing to give an animal the necessary basic care can have disastrous results. Long durations of extreme suffering due to severe neglect might result in irreversible harm or even death.

The severity of the neglect can result in prolonged periods of extreme pain that can lead to irreversible harm or death, even though such cases may at first appear less terrible than a single, devastating incident of violent abuse. A neglected animal's suffering can be devastating to witness.

Aasha was found by Vicky Keahey, the founder of Texas' In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center, in a terrible state. It is unknown how she got there.

She weighed a little more than 30 pounds, which is the weight of a cub that should be three months old, but she was nearly nine years of age! Vicky really wanted to know what had happened to Aasha because she was in such bad shape.

She told The Dodo that she inquired how a 9-month-old tiger could be that small.

When Vicky Keahey, founder of Texas’ In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center, found her, Aasha was extremely sick

She found out that the poor tiger cub was part of a traveling circus. She was also denied access to food since she was housed in a cage with a larger animal.

Watch the video below to get a grasp of all that happened

She also had ringworm, a skin ailment, but the lack of medical attention only made matters worse. Vicky made the decision to take Aasha and care for her.

She weighed no more than 30 pounds, which should be the weight of a three months old cub, but she was almost nine

She was consequently taken to a solitary enclosure at In-Sync Exotics. Vicky said that the majority of Aasha’s body was covered in bald spots along with dry, cracked, darkened, and bleeding skin.

Vicky decided to take Aasha away and to take care of her

"Every day, twice a day, I would go in and give Aasha medications and spend time with her. I knew I was going to have to handle her in order to get her well."

You could see little bits of fuzz have grown back in the video below

The situation for the wild kitten never looked better after just a few weeks of good care. The kind-hearted Vicky said that after eight weeks of treatments, one could see little pieces of fuzz sprouting back to what had previously been bald spots.

Every day, twice a day, Vicky would go in and give Aasha medications and spend time with her

"Within eight months she looked like a real tiger, and it was time to see how she would react to other tigers"

There are several ways you can assist the animal or animals involved, depending on the circumstances. For Aasha, it took approximately eight months before she made a remarkable recovery.

"Within eight months, she looked like a real tiger, and it was time to see how she would react to other tigers," Vicky says. Right now, the tiger cub is unrecognizable, as you’ve already seen!

Maryjane